Saturday, February 18, 2006

Cairo is a native of the Midwest now residing on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. After a career spanning forty years of worldwide travel in the specialized field of slipform concrete construction, he has turned his attention and talents towards the creation of smaller works of art. Utilizing the tools of his former trade, Cairo now spends his days creating one of a kind furniture as well as carvings of the wildlife around him.

Using almost exclusively recycled materials, Cairo creates functional art out of metal, glass, and wood. His tables, benches and chairs reveal his skill as a craftsman, and his years of travel around the globe are reflected in the dynamic, universal designs of his work. He insists that all of the unique pieces of furniture he builds are not only objects of art, but are sturdy, well-built and entirely functional as well.

When creating his carved figures of birds, fish and other animals, Cairo maintains a keen focus on the nature of the wood itself, never losing sight of the beauty inherent in the material. A friend told him once that good art is created when one eliminates the obvious and exaggerates the essential. Thus, he strives to enhance rather than completely transform the beauty of the wood. The clean lines and stylized nature of his carvings do just that.

The wood that the artist uses for his carvings and his furniture comes from many sources. He regularly engages in beachcombing excursions for driftwood, and accepts offers from friends who may have a tree down from a storm. Several of his pieces have been created from pecky cypress that is estimated to be 500 years old. The holes and tunnels that form the intricate, distinctive look of the wood are caused by a fungus that does not present itself until the tree is at least 100 years old.

Cairo’s work may be found at Gallery 220 in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and at his studio in Henleyfield, Mississippi. He regularly creates custom pieces. For more information about Cairo, please email him at lorikgordon@gmail.com, or call 228.342.0877 and leave a message.